


Blessed Blood

by OneEyedFurball (Moscovm)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Lonely Loki (Marvel), M/M, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Tony Stark, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 09:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20468438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moscovm/pseuds/OneEyedFurball
Summary: "Sei Fortunato, Antonio." He could still remember his mother’s voice saying it.You’re fortunate."You carry the blessing of God on your skin, and it will give you strength and health, as it did me and my ancestors. You should be proud.”Tony might have been young then, but he wasn’t naive. The mark wasn’t a blessing. It was just a rare DNA mutation.Or, Marked humans were rare, but always healthy. Tony was born marked, and it probably saved his life in numerous occasions, including Afghanistan. He just wasn't ready to find out the mark was so much more than that.





	Blessed Blood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Random_Human](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Human/gifts).

> You asked for a Soulmates fic with a twist.   
This is the first part of your gift. It parallels a lot with the Avengers movie, but it will diverge completely next chapter. Hope you like it!  
Please read end notes. They are important. 
> 
> I know this might be read as not Steve Rogers friendly, but remember it is Tony's POV, which means it's subjective, and prone to change.
> 
> Also, to my Beta, Tal. You're a great friend. Thank you for helping with this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, a small reference to torture in the first paragraph.

Showers were the hardest part of daily life for Tony in the last few years. He’d used to enjoy them, back before Afghanistan. But getting his head repeatedly shoved underwater until he choked made showers lose their appeal.

The worst moments, though, were moments like this, standing naked and damp in front of the mirror. His stare kept snapping back to the deep lines of exhaustion carved into his face. By the light of the ARC Reactor, they seemed to swallow him whole.

He still forced himself to look.

Dark circles under his eyes. A distant shadow lurking in the brown of his irises. Slumped shoulders, sharp clavicles, and between them, the symbol. There his stare stuck. 

The symbol… It never resembled anything much, but it reminded Tony of two wrestling snakes on fire. That kind of image made him feel cursed.

* * *

"Sei Fortunato, Antonio." He could still remember his mother’s voice saying it. _You’re fortunate_.

His mother rarely tucked him in, usually leaving the honor to Jarvis. But when she did, she’d used to smile at his symbol, absently caressing her own.

"You carry the blessing of God on your skin, and it will give you strength and health, as it did me and my ancestors. You should be proud.”

Tony might have been young then, but he wasn’t naive. The mark wasn’t a _blessing_. It was just a rare DNA mutation.

The marks always passed through generations. They were always unique. The people born with them had a sturdy body and good health. They also had fertility problems, which kept the marked population small.

“Dad said there is no God.” 

His mother’s lips pressed into a thin, displeased line. “Your father might be smart, but he doesn’t know everything.”

Tony just shrugged. He already knew that. It was the reason Howard kept running tests on his own child, trying to figure out the mutation. 

It was also the reason he kept Tony out of the workshop when he wasn’t running his tests. He got extremely short-tempered when his five-year-old son suggested improvements on his weapon designs.

“He’s still pretty smart,” he offered.

Maria sighed and covered her son with the blanket.

“Buona notte, caro mio.” Good night, my dear, She ruffled his hair and walked out, barely sparing a glance at him before closing the door.

* * *

Now, staring at his mark in the mirror, Tony still thought she’d been wrong. Not a blessing. A curse. And if the symbol made Tony _feel_ cursed, the ARC Reactor proved it.

He eyed the intruding machine, still dripping water and enclosed with scars, and took a sharp inhale - or tried to - his throat seemed to choke on the air instead. It almost felt like water was filling his-

_‘No! You survived, remember? You pushed through. Grow the fuck up!’_

Tony forced his gaze back up, pulled his shoulders back into a confident stance, schooled his features into something more pleasant and turned to dry himself before stepping out.

Back in the bedroom, Pepper smiled at him from the bed.

“You seem to be doing pretty good. You hadn’t taken so long in the shower for a long time.” She looked content, and, like every time he saw that expression, Tony vowed to himself to keep that look on her face. He failed more often than not, but he still tried.

“Well, I am moving to a giant building with my name on it in the morning. I even made sure it’s located as close as possible to that really expensive coffee shop with the great croissants. We can get breakfast there every morning,” He flashed her a grin.

“You’re gonna make us both fat,” she chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I promise to never complain about your weight. Well, at least not in front of your face.” Tony wiggled his eyebrows and Pepper threw a pillow at his face. It was obvious she was trying not to laugh.

“I’m more worried about when you’ll start complaining you can’t fit into your Iron Man suit. You’ll never leave the workshop after that,” She mock-pouted. 

“You gonna miss my handsome face?” He grinned at her.

“Not at all. It’s just going to be hell to get you to sign anything.” She returned the grin.

Tony raised an eyebrow at that.

“It’s always hell to get me to sign anything. And yet you still love me.” He commented.

Pepper shook her head in fond exasperation.

“Just get in bed already.” She patted the mattress by her side.

Tony threw the towel to the floor, picked up the pillow that landed by his feet, and climbed next to her, still naked. He turned to give her a small peck on the cheek, and she brushed their lips together in return.

“JARVIS, Lights,” Tony said as they both laid down.

“Of course, Sir.” JARVIS’ curt reply came at the same time the lights dimmed.

Pepper fell asleep not too long after, and Tony stayed awake for a couple of hours more, listening to her slow breaths and hoping for the best.

* * *

The next day started pretty smoothly. They woke early enough to manage to get brunch in the expensive coffee shop Tony mentioned the previous night and most of the preparations went with little problems. 

Like most days that start smoothly, this day went completely sideways by the end. When Tony landed back on the tower's balcony after lighting it up and JARVIS warned about Agent Coulson trying to reach him, Tony figured a lot was about to happen.

Cursing internally, Tony did his best to bask in his last moments with Pepper before he let his life lose its course once more. He suspected their relationship will once again change after whatever Agent’s reason was to be there, along with every other aspect of their life.

Tony was being serious when he said he’d built the tower for Pepper. He really envisioned their life together in it. But, of course, Pepper was also right when she said the tower happened thanks to the ARC Reactor. As much as Pepper felt like she was _it_ for him, His life had a lot more to it than the beautiful woman by his side. He wasn’t even mad when she joined forces with Agent. Well, not at her, at least.

Tony was definitely mad at SHIELD. They crossed all his boundaries and demanded him to listen to them, but still had the audacity to say he was “Not Recommended”. And now it was starting all over again, and with Pepper siding with them.

In the end, Tony grudgingly took on the project SHIELD had for him, managed to get a dirty, wonderful promise from Pepper, and opened the file.

It didn’t take him long to change his mind about helping them out on this one, but it definitely hadn’t made him like SHIELD better.

* * *

Tony’s first thought about Loki when they met was _‘Nobody should be able to pull off that helmet’_.

It might have been a weird thing to think of someone Tony just blasted with his repulsors, but it wasn’t his fault Loki’s outfit was ridiculous. And extremely tight.

He aimed all the weapon systems in the suit at Loki.

“Make your move, Reindeer Games.” 

The moment Loki made the helmet disappear, Tony’s mind provided his second thought about Loki, which was _‘Well, with THAT Handsome face, no wonder he can pull it off!’_ because, seriously, the picture SHIELD had of him did no justice.

Tony’s third thought of Loki, when the later raised his hands in defeat, was _‘I hoped he’d be stupid enough to fight me. Too bad.’_

Well, he got his fight soon enough.

* * *

Captain America was an asshole. Not that Tony was surprised, considering all the poetics Howard used to wax about the man. It was a fact by now that every person Howard Stark thought was of any worth turned out to be a horrible person. Look at what happened with Obadiah Stane. Tony was actually starting to think it might have been a good thing Howard never saw him as much more than research material.

At least Dr. Banner was great. It was obvious he wanted to be there even less than Tony did, but he was one of the most amazing lab partners Tony ever had the pleasure of working with. Tony really hoped the other man would take his offer and come to the tower when all that mess was over with. He needed more people who could hold a scientific conversation with him in his life. 

* * *

Tony shouldn’t have been surprised everything went to shit. He’d been agitated from the moment Agent Coulson came to the tower and his irritation was getting worse by the second. Besides, Rogers really was an asshole. He’d been on Tony’s case from the start, criticizing him.

So when history’s Greatest Hero told him “You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.” He snapped.

“A Hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!” Tony looked Rogers in the eyes when he said that and then took a step forward before smirking.

“And that bottle was created thanks to research on people like me!” Tony might have been spitting a bit while he said that. He wanted to laugh, and not in a happy way.

Rogers was definitely not laughing though. He looked murderous.

“I was raised to believe the people who were born with the Mark were blessed by God. Seeing someone like you marked makes me wonder if God made a mistake.” The Captain was looming over him, looking ready to fight. Tony almost took the first swing, if not for Thor interrupting.

“Mark of God? Could you be speaking of the gift of Idunn? The mark to connect the ones blessed with them to the mates of their souls? One like this?” Thor linked a finger in the front of his armor and pulled down.

He had a mark just like the ones people with the mutation had. Tony paused.

He heard Fury answering him, but didn’t actually catch what it was. By the look on Thor’s face, it wasn’t too nice.

Thor answered back something that seemed to be just as bad.

Things continued to escalate, and Tony was pretty sure he was still verbally fighting with the Captain. His mouth could keep up the sass and the snub as naturally as a flowing river, but his mind was stuck on Thor’s words. 

_‘Mate of my soul…?’_ He really hoped he’d get the chance to question Thor about that later when things relaxed a bit.

Tony came back to the present only when the explosions started.

* * *

Something about having a crisis takes the anger right out of people, Tony discovered.

After Saving the Helicarrier with Captain America, and losing Agent- Phil, the man deserved to be remembered by his name - Tony was finally able to focus on the right things.

Rogers, if anything, was good to have on your side in an emergency. Now that was over, Tony tried to figure out the next move. Loki acted like, Well, like he was acting. Looking at Thor, Tony genuinely wasn’t sure if it _was_ an act or just the way Loki was. Either way, this was a show, and Tony just had to find the right theater.

When he figured it out, Tony couldn’t decide if he was furious or flattered. He probably wasn’t supposed to feel that way, but now that the edge was gone, nothing felt real anymore. Tony found it hard to think of Loki as anything but a hot and crazy actor. 

* * *

Villains really shouldn’t be hot, Tony decided when he landed on the tower and let JARVIS take off his suit. He watched Loki on the lower balcony walking inside to greet him, all tall and lean and in _really_ tight leather, and had to remind himself he was there to ruin the show, not watch it.

Since he and Pepper started dating, even before that probably, Tony never felt the need to sleep with anyone else. It actually felt much better having sex with someone he loved and trusted rather than some random woman who, in most cases, barely tolerated him.

That didn’t mean Tony didn’t appreciate pretty people. He learned to hide it easily enough, when he saw Pepper sending the evil eye to the waitress Tony might have been ogling while he waited for Pepper to return from the bathroom on one of their dates.

He didn’t actually have to _learn_ to hide his attraction. Tony only had to recalibrate the ability to include women as well. He was well versed on not showing his attraction to men, after all.

That being said, it was harder than expected not to be too flirty with the enemy when Loki strode in and said “Please tell me you’re going to appeal to my humanity.” with a predatory smirk on his face.

Tony pushed back the thought of _‘Well, you definitely appeal to mine’_.

“Uh… Actually, I'm planning to threaten you.” He said instead. It was easier not to look directly at Loki, so he opted to stare anywhere else. He was told often enough it was disrespectful when he did that, so he assumed it helped his purpose there anyway.

“You should have left your armor on for that.” Loki sounded amused and his voice went lower, like _he_ was flirting. 

“Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage.” Tony said. 

He refused himself the urge to look up and see if Loki also _looked_ like he was flirting, and started walking instead. He had the bracelets for the Mark VII on the bar.

“You've got the glowstick of destiny.” He lost his inner fight and looked up as he gestured. Loki definitely looked like he was flirting, even when he averted his gaze down to the Sceptre in his hand.

“Would you like a drink?” _'Yep. Looking at Loki was a mistake.' _

Tony kept his purposeful walk to the bar and forced his focus back to the task. He really wanted a drink, though.

“Stalling me won't change anything.” At least Loki focused the conversation back to the fight. That helped Tony take a little more control.

“No, no, no - Threatening.” - Tony looked up again - “No drink? You sure?” - He really couldn’t resist the flirting - “I'm having one.” - but he could own up to it.

“The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?” Loki went back to Full-diva mode, Pacing to the window, and Tony knew he had the upper hand with that. Loki was scared. So Tony pushed it.

“The Avengers.” He answered flippantly. The confused look he got was on point, really. Fury could be as bad as him with naming things. He rolled his eyes.

“It's what we call ourselves. We’re sort of like a team. `Earth’s Mightiest Heroes' type of thing.” Tony poured the drink. It was probably weird he was starting to enjoy himself. He should be on edge in front of an enemy, acting mostly on adrenaline. Instead, he found himself slowly relaxing in front of Loki. 

“Yes, I’ve met them” Loki gave him a mocking smirk. Tony returned it.

“Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one.” Tony wasn’t actually sure he’d call them a team yet, but at least they weren’t chewing eachother off by that point.

“But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God;” Loki turned from him, irritation and nervousness obvious on his face and body language. Tony finally took the opportunity to put the bracelets on.

As he continued his threat, slowly walking from behind the bar and toward the other, Loki added ‘murderous’ to the emotions he was showing. Tony stopped a few feet away.

“-Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it.” He took a seep from his drink.

Loki paced toward him, slowly. The image of a big cat on the hunt. Tony vaguely knew he should be intimidated, but for some reason he found the reducing space between them exciting. It was wrong, somehow. 

“How will your friends have time for me, when they are so busy fighting you?” Loki raised the Sceptre and Tony had maybe one second to finally feel the panic pick up it's head, before the tip touched his ARC Reactor and the glow dissipated. 

Tony watched the confused look on Loki’s face as he tried again. He felt a bit unsettled looking into the Demi-God’s Blue-ish green eyes. Something felt off about them. About the whole situation. This time when he turned his focus elsewhere, it was for a different reason than before.

“This usually works,” Loki sounded a bit lost. Tony couldn’t resist the urge to tease, even if he felt off-kilter.

“Well, Performance issues. It’s not uncommon. One out of five-” Loki sent a hand straight to his throat, and retracted it immediately after the bearest of touches, gasping.

Tony felt disoriented for a moment. The adrenaline pumping through him was an obvious reaction to being attacked, but the touch of Loki’s hand felt _right_.

He looked back at Loki again when he heard the sound of metal hit the floor. Loki’s eyes were very wide and his irises turned completely green, losing the blue edge in them. He seemed awestruck.

Tony was stunned himself. He couldn’t place what was going on.

Slowly, Loki raised his hand - the one that was holding the Sceptre a moment ago, Tony noted - and hooked it to the front of Tony’s shirt collar, very careful not to touch the skin directly again. He pulled on it a bit and his eyes went even wider.

Loki took two unsteady steps back before he fell to the floor, ass first and lacking all his usual grace. The shaky breath he blew sounded somewhere between a laugh and a whimper.

Tony stared at the awed expression looking up at him. His mind was struggling to find the right conclusions to draw from the last few minutes. It took him a long moment to recall Thor’s words from the Helicarrier.

_"The mark to connect the ones blessed with them to the mates of their souls"_.

The math was rather easy after that, but the results were not very welcome.

This was the person who was trying to conquer Earth. Who claimed himself a god above everyone else. Who killed without a care. Killed Phil Coulson. 

JARVIS finally broke the silence by announcing in Tony's earpiece “The Mark VII is ready, Sir,” and the next moment Tony was enveloped in his suit and taking off through the closest window, ignoring the fact it wasn’t even open.

This was bad.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I'm really sorry, but the next chapters will take me a few weeks to upload, probably.  
My computer broke, and since I moved out, I don't have internet right now, either. I will do my best to (steal a friends computer and wifi and) upload the rest as soon as possible. Please be patient with me! Sorry!


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